AI Developer Faces Identity Theft in Crypto Scam Saga

AI Developer Disassociates from Crypto Amidst Identity Theft

Peter Steinberger, the creator of the AI assistant Moltbot, has distanced himself from any cryptocurrency affiliations after scammers used his identity to promote fraudulent tokens.

The issue began when ClawdBot, later rebranded to Moltbot due to trademark issues with Anthropic, became a target for crypto fraudsters.

Public Denouncement of Crypto Associations

On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Steinberger emphatically denied involvement with any coin projects, stating, "Any project that lists me as a coin owner is a SCAM."

He further clarified that he has not issued tokens, nor does he endorse any crypto ventures, rejecting any fees for deployment or endorsement.

Trademark Challenges and Scammer Exploitation

The rebranding of ClawdBot to Moltbot, necessitated by Anthropic's trademark concerns, inadvertently allowed cybercriminals to seize Steinberger's former social media and GitHub handles. These were then used to promote meme coin schemes falsely linked to him.

Steinberger later publicly sought assistance after losing control of his GitHub account to these scammers.

Ongoing Harassment from Crypto Enthusiasts

Despite his efforts to sever any ties with cryptocurrency, Steinberger continues to face harassment from crypto promoters urging him to claim deployment fees or acknowledge token schemes bearing his name.

"These individuals are making my online life a living hell," Steinberger told BeInCrypto, highlighting the relentless spam and account squatting he endures.

Community responses to Steinberger's predicament have been mixed, showcasing the pervasive influence of meme coin culture even when creators opt out.

Security Concerns with Open-Source AI

The controversy has spotlighted security risks associated with Moltbot, a self-hostable AI agent. Browser developer Brave issued warnings about the potential dangers of misconfigured always-on AI tools, advising users to take precautionary measures.

Steinberger's experience underscores the vulnerabilities faced by open-source AI developers amidst the intersection of AI innovation and cryptocurrency speculation.